Chalerm: Reconciliation law aids Thaksin | Bangkok Post: news

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Chalerm: Reconciliation law aids Thaksin

The government will not push for an amnesty but will instead enact a national reconciliation law which will cover fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yubamrung said on Tuesday.

Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yubamrung

The reconciliation law will be issued as an act and six articles have already been drafted, he said.

"The law will ensure fair treatment for all sides, including Thaksin, from Sept 18, 2006 onwards," Mr Chalerm said.

The deputy premier said he will explain the bill to people in different regions, starting with the Northeast.

"I expect the issue to become clearer in the middle of this year.

"The Pheu Thai Party will propose the draft law to the parliament even if it is opposed by others, but this is normal in a democracy," Mr Chalerm said.

On Sept 19, 2006, the army staged a bloodless coup which ousted the Thaksin government.

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Your comments

  • Discussion 38 : 02/02/2012 at 02:26 AM38

    Khun JohninBKK #37, I am neither a PAD nor Prachatipad, but an independent thinker and a truth seeker. Vote buying & selling has been the worst enemy of Democracy in Thailand for a long, long time. And until the majority of Thai voters stop selling their votes to the highest bidder, and vote their conscience, they will continue to add strength to tyranny, and the country will continue to suffer.

  • Discussion 37 : 02/02/2012 at 12:44 AM37

    The claims of vote buying and 'Hitler was elected' are propaganda lies by the PAD as an attempt to discredit democracy. If you think coups lead to democracy, then you've been brainwashed. With a history of 20 coups in the last 80 years, Thailand would be the most democratic nation in the world. Yes, please look at the Arab Spring . . . grassroots people protesting against an unelected government getting brutally crushed by the military.

  • Discussion 36 : 01/02/2012 at 02:09 PM36

    Reconciliation would be of course what the country needs but reconciliation only based on bringing Thaksin back is for sure the wrong approach. Instead the country will be further divided which could be permanent; having two different societies within one country! A great idea!

  • Discussion 35 : 01/02/2012 at 12:52 PM35

    Discussion 31; coups do not happen in the countries you mentioned because there is the LAW, there are checks and balances, there are no " honest mistake" jokes, and , most of all because people are educated and intelligent enough NOT to be bought!

  • Discussion 34 : 01/02/2012 at 07:44 AM34

    The Pheu Thaksin has always been quite open about its main goal. I don't see why people are surprised. Everything else comes secondary to its main goal. "Thaksin Think's, PT does."

  • Discussion 33 : 01/02/2012 at 07:08 AM33

    Khun JohninBKK #29, does political harlotry equal Democracy, you know, buying enough votes to put you over the top? If Thaksin truly loved Democracy, he would never circumventing our Rules of Law nor infringing on our Right to Free Speech, and Free Press, would he? Gen Oliver Cromwell dissolved the exceedingly corrupt British Parliament in 1653 for exactly the same reason. The whim of one very rich and exceedingly corrupt man is not Democracy, OK?

  • Discussion 32 : 01/02/2012 at 06:39 AM32

    johninbkk D29 : Democracy works only when it isn't hijacked or bought, as Thailand is finding out to it's peril. That's why some PM's or so called 'democratically elected' leaders have to be removed sometimes. Look at the Arab uprising.

  • Discussion 31 : 01/02/2012 at 06:17 AM31

    I agree with D@29, johninbkk:

    "In a democracy, if you want to remove a PM you bring impeachment charges to parliament - not guns and tanks. If the impeachment fails, you vote them out of office at the next election. Calling the majority 'too stupid to vote' won't get you many votes."

    It is sad to read how many justify the coup by calling names such as 'dictator' fugitive, power-hungry, etc. If in a true democracy a military coup is OK, why do they not occur in the USA, Canada, UK, Europe, etc.? Even Mexico does not operate this way!!! No, it's a poor excuse and needs to stop if Thailand is to mature politically. No more coups!

  • nui

    ThailandPost : 175

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    Discussion 30 : 01/02/2012 at 04:04 AM30

    Reconciliation means justice for everyone according to the laws, not whitewashing crimes which were committed within the last 6 years. Thaksins criminal cases have nothing to do with the coup in 2006 and are not politically motivated as many people claim. Those who violate the laws must face the consequences. This idea of reconciliation in Thailand includes individuals and that does not work. People or groups can put their differences aside, forget the past and move forward to a united, peaceful and prosperous Thailand.

  • Discussion 29 : 01/02/2012 at 01:26 AM29

    The very last article of the constitution grants amnesty to the coup government. Amnesty for one side and not the other is not reconciliation - it is double standards.

    In a democracy, if you want to remove a PM you bring impeachment charges to parliament - not guns and tanks. If the impeachment fails, you vote them out of office at the next election. Calling the majority 'too stupid to vote' won't get you many votes.

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